Are ads against Ga. Senate candidate also an attack on Black churches
NPR
Jan. 5, 2021
Steve Inskeep on NPR’s “Morning Edition talks to Jonathan Lee Walton, dean of Wake Forest School of Divinity, about the political ads taken out against Georgia Senate runoff candidate Rev. Raphael Warnock. “It’s about keeping track of the most vulnerable in society. I believe that Raphael Warnock is standing on the shoulders of those like Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., like Reverend A.D. Williams, Martin Luther King Jr.’s grandfather, all of these towering progressive pastors that have been in this grand lineage of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta,” Walton said.

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

After a summer of protest, Americans voted for policing and criminal justice reform
The Washington Post
Nov. 14, 2020
“It was a pretty good day for meaningful change in criminal justice reform,” said Ronald Wright, a law professor at Wake Forest and criminal justice expert. “The priorities I was watching didn’t win everywhere, but they won a lot more than they lost.” While some of these overhaul measures and candidates fell short, the overall outcomes across the country suggested a greater openness to other approaches toward criminal justice and law enforcement than the long-typical tough-on-crime stance, said Wright.

Hate crime murders surged to record high in 2019, FBI data show
CBS News
Nov. 16, 2020
The proliferation of white supremacist ideology online combined with a culture of gun violence in the U.S. has resulted in some perpetrators of mass shootings targeting victims for their race, religion, or other protected characteristic, said Kami Chavis, professor of law and director of the criminal justice program at Wake Forest. “There is an inextricable link between armed white supremacists and the increase in hate crimes, particularly deadly ones.”

China likely to take bigger role in peacekeeping missions in West Africa
South China Morning Post (Hong Kong)
Nov. 22, 2020
Lina Benabdallah, an assistant professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest and expert on China-Africa relations, weighed in on China’s increasing presence in West Africa.

Mine ponds amplify mercury risks in Peru's Amazon
ScienceDaily
Nov. 27, 2020
Luis Fernandez of Wake Forest’s Center for Amazonian Scientific Innovation in Peru co-authored a new study, which found that the proliferation of pits and ponds created in recent years by miners digging for small deposits of alluvial gold in Peru’s Amazon has dramatically altered the landscape and increased the risk of mercury exposure for indigenous communities and wildlife.

Evictions have led to hundreds of thousands of additional Covid-19 cases, research finds
CNBC
Nov. 27, 2020
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, University of California, San Francisco, Johns Hopkins University, Boston University and Wake Forest School of Law, found that lifting state moratoriums and allowing eviction proceedings to continue caused as many as 433,700 excess cases of Covid-19 and 10,700 additional deaths in the U.S. between March and September.

The world's most influential leaders in physics and chemistry are at AcademicInfluence.com
Yahoo! Finance
Dec. 3, 2020
“As a physics researcher myself, I recognize the leaders within my field and know the amazing work they do,” said Jed Macosko, Wake Forest physics professor and academic director of AcademicInfluence.com. “Our knowledge of these researchers improves awareness, which leads to support that funds groundbreaking projects and thrilling innovations,” he said.

Mistakes were made
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Dec. 7, 2020
Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch’s apology was mentioned in The Chronicle of Higher Education. “It is important and overdue that I unequivocally apologize, on behalf of the University, for participating in and benefitting from the institution of slavery.”

Reduce workloads to ease students' stress: Faculty insights
Al-Fanar Media
Dec. 7, 2020
There are some online tools faculty members can use to gauge the workload they are putting on students. The Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Wake Forest developed an enhanced version of Rice University’s Course Workload Estimator tool that’s well adapted to online classrooms, adding tasks like posting to discussion forums and watching podcasts and videos.

Religious freedom: Will U.S. emphasis continue under Biden
Real Clear Politics
Dec. 10, 2020
Melissa Rogers, a visiting professor at Wake Forest School of Divinity who served as the executive director of Obama’s White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, is calling on the Biden administration to continue the ministerials to advance religious freedom “with the secretary of state’s ongoing involvement.”

As oil prices languish, Alberta sees its future in a 'coal rush'
The Guardian
Dec. 15, 2020
A “coal rush” in Alberta, Canada could see at least six new or expanded open-pit coal mines built up and down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. “The proposed mine will do far more damage than can be reasonably justified on any level,” said Dennis Lemly, a former US Forest Service research biologist and associate professor at Wake Forest..

6 surprising reasons you can't lose weight
AARP
Dec. 18, 2020
“If you don’t make an effort to preserve muscle mass, you lose 3 to 8% per decade after age 30,” said Kristen Beavers, associate professor in the department of health and exercise science at Wake Forest. And because muscle burns more calories than fat, your metabolic rate slows and you torch fewer calories, she added.

The college admission precedent
Forbes
Dec. 22, 2020
In the midst of otherwise uncertain times, college admissions teams remain steadfast in their mission to support applicants and deliver an educated populous. Eric Maguire, vice president for enrollment at Wake Forest agrees, saying that what has been steady is our “commitment to considering applicants thoughtfully and holistically.”

Millennial Money: How to discuss family finances in a crisis
Associated Press
Dec. 22, 2020
Wake Forest counseling professor Nathaniel Ivers believes that interpersonal conflicts stem from your desire to be understood by the other person, while at the same time, you don’t understand where the other person is coming from. “If you say, ‘I’m feeling overwhelmed with the extra responsibilities I have now,’ that will sometimes trigger compassion,” Ivers said. “But if it comes with finger-pointing, the last thing you get is compassion and empathy.”

What can be learned from differing rates of suicide among groups
The New York Times
Dec. 30, 2020
Jonathan Lee Walton, dean of the School of Divinity at Wake Forest, sees another angle to Black religiosity that could reduce suicide rates. “It’s in the Black theological tradition that in this life you will experience trouble and hardship,” he said. “Unfortunately, this is born of tragic experiences in this nation. This prepares one for paths of despair, for traveling the lonely road of heartbreak, perhaps in a way that white Americans don’t learn to the same degree or from a young and formative age.”

How attacks on a Georgia Senate candidate exposed wider misunderstandings about the Black church
MSNBC
Jan. 3, 2021
“Black communities of faith have always been at the forefront of emancipating American democracy and expanding narrow notions of freedom,” said Jonathan Lee Walton, the Dean of Wake Forest School of Divinity. “At their best…they’ve constituted a moral conscience of this nation. When you hear preachers like Raphael Warnock challenge this nation, it’s not based upon some level of a lack of patriotism; to the contrary, it’s American as the stars and stripes.”

Congress approves $25 billion in rental assistance. Here’s how to apply
CNBC
Jan. 7, 2021
“While this is a critical start, these provisions will not end the eviction crisis and will not help all renters who desperately need rental assistance to protect their families from harm,” said Emily Benfer, Wake Forest visiting law professor. Since mid-November, Benfer’s comments on the eviction crisis have appeared in The Nation, Fast Company, Aljazeera, The Hill, US News & World Report, WebMD, ABC News, Popular Science, WENY (New York) and the Associated Press.

Science says you need to plan some things to look forward to
Vice
Dec. 29, 2020
Humans are extremely future-oriented, psychology professor Christian Waugh told VICE. From making weekend plans to plotting a five-year career path, humans have the unique ability to set goals and envision how to get there and how it’ll feel when they do. “When we are optimistic, what that’s telling us is we’re on the right path to accomplishing goals we care about. It gives us a sense of meaning, it gives us a sense of purpose—and a sense of purpose is, by itself, motivating.”

How to protect yourself and others from spreading COVID-19 at Thanksgiving dinner
USA Today
Nov. 25, 2020
Lucy D’Agostino McGowan, assistant professor of statistics at Wake Forest University affirmed the risks of gathering for the holidays amid the COVID-19 pandemic and shared advice about ways to reduce the risk for families who choose to gather. “If you do get together, a little planning and creativity can go a long way to making the celebration as safe as possible,” said McGowan.

What a Democratic-controlled Congress could mean for renters struggling amid the pandemic
CNBC
Jan. 6, 2021
With Democrats securing a majority in the Senate, a number of relief measures targeted at renters struggling amid the pandemic – including a right to counsel for those facing eviction and a larger pot of money for back rent – now have a better chance of materializing. “Democrats have a rare opportunity to directly and swiftly end the eviction crisis and prevent severe harm to renters and landlords nationwide,” said Emily Benfer, a visiting law professor at Wake Forest University.

Should vaccine volunteers now get the real thing
Associated Press
Jan. 1, 2021
With the rollout of vaccines and the uncertainty of their status, volunteers could decide to drop out once they are eligible to get one. They might stay in the study if they’re told what they got, said Ana Iltis, a bioethicist at Wake Forest University. “Participants could leave in droves. They could say, ‘If you don’t tell me what I got, I’m out of here,’” said Iltis. “You cannot force people to stay.”

REGIONAL & TRADE

Monumental racism
88.3 KCPW (Salt Lake City)
Nov. 16, 2020
Lisa Blee, associate professor of history at Wake Forest, appeared as a guest panelist on “The Hinckley Institute Radio Hour” to discuss the push to remove monuments and statues linked to the history of racism and colonialism in the United States.

Pieces of history or ugly reminders of injustice? Historians discuss monuments’ meaning over time
Deseret News
Nov. 16, 2020
“This is a particularly important moment to turn our attention to monuments,” said Lisa Blee, associate professor of history at Wake Forest. “Countless anti-racism protests over monuments have accelerated after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis at the end of May. And these events announce a really dramatic resurgence of struggle over memorialization to white supremacy.”

Nothing is stopping NC senators Burr, Tillis from reaching across the aisle on stimulus
News & Observer
Nov. 19, 2020
“[Sens. Richard Burr and Thom Tillis] also need to recognize the need for another stimulus package ahead of the vaccination program that begins next year. Unemployment is high. Demand for goods and services is suffering. With smart fiscal policy, these senators can help thousands of North Carolinians in the near term,” said Todd McFall, assistant teaching professor in the Wake Forest Department of Economics, in an opinion piece. “The opportunity to do right is so close. Please reach out and grab it.”

Wake Forest University baseball coach, former player he donated his kidney to starts foundation to empower kids
WNCT (Greenville, NC)
Nov. 18, 2020
Wake Forest baseball coach Tom Walters once donated a kidney to Wake Forest student and baseball player Kevin Jordan. Several years later, Walters and Jordan have started “Get in the Game,” a foundation designed to empower kids to make positive changes and cultivate life skills like listening, empathy and kindness. “Seeing their energy around it, that’s enough to show me that there’s something good that we’re doing,” said Jordan.

Fifth Third CEO Greg Carmichael talks reasons behind bank's recent C-suite shake-up
Charlotte Business Journal
Nov. 18, 2020
Ajay Patel, a finance professor at Wake Forest, said large companies often have a runoff between two or three candidates when making a CEO succession plan. It is common for the candidate(s) not chosen to leave the company, he added. “You want to make sure that the candidate has a good handle on the different businesses that the bank engages in,” Patel said. “They do have to plan ahead, primarily for that, especially if they’re looking at internal candidates to take over.”

We need a global leader on plastics. Could it be Biden?
Grist
Nov. 23, 2020
Sarah J. Morath, a professor at Wake Forest School of Law, wrote an opinion piece with proposed actions the Biden administration could take to help curb the United States’ plastic problem. “Just last month, scientists labeled the United States as the country generating the most plastic waste worldwide,” Morath writes. “While the president’s authority over foreign affairs is not absolute, the president can enter into some international agreements unilaterally.”

Flipped classes: An opportunity for low-stakes group problem solving
American Association of Physics Teachers
Nov. 24, 2020
“Flipped classes offer several advantages over traditional lecture-oriented classes,” said Rick Matthews, professor of physics and director of academic and instructional technology at Wake Forest. “Pushing content delivery out of class frees up contact time for interactive activities proven more effective for student learning.”

Debunking superstition
NewsPoint360
Nov. 27, 2020
Eric Carlson, associate professor of physics at Wake Forest, spoke with NewPoint360 about common superstitions, their possible origins and why the human mind is so affected by them.

Hope in the absurd: Seeing ourselves in Sisyphus
Dallas Morning News
Nov. 29, 2020
“We must learn to see ourselves — our hopes, aims, strivings, and aspirations — in the daily labor of Sisyphus,” writes Jonathan Walton, dean of Wake Forest School of Divinity in an opinion piece for Dallas Morning News. “Our hope lies in the capacity to bear one another’s burdens, and thus endure the absurdity of life together.”

Andy Roddick plays dress up for 3-year-old daughter's birthday
Moms.com
Nov. 29, 2020
“As you might guess,” said Linda Nielsen, a professor of educational and adolescent psychology at Wake Forest, “daughters whose fathers have been actively engaged throughout childhood in promoting their academic or athletic achievements and encouraging their self-reliance and assertiveness are more likely to graduate from college and to enter the higher paying, more demanding jobs traditionally held by males.”

Can we synthesize Christianity moral theology with secular bioethics
BioEdge
Nov. 29, 2020
Wake Forest philosophy post-doctoral fellow Nicolas Colgrove’s work was highlighted in a recent consideration of Christian moral theology and secular bioethics. “Securing agreement on general claims (like “respect human beings”) is easy but securing agreement on the meaning of these claims is not,” said Colgrove.

What’s the deal with Wegmans, and is it ever coming to Charlotte
Charlotte Agenda
Dec. 2, 2020
“North Carolina sort of becomes the key crossroads between retailers moving down from the North, coming up from the South, and moving in from the West,” said Roger Beahm, a marketing professor at Wake Forest. “This is a state that’s ripe for retail competition.”

Need to track your lawsuit? There may be an app for that
The Legal Examiner
Dec. 2, 2020
“There are some cases, a no-contest divorce, filing certain types of bankruptcies, that really are just a matter of filling out and filing forms. There should definitely be an app for that,” said Raina Haque, a professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, with expertise in computational law and emergent technologies. “Legal technologies, including apps, have proliferated in recent years. This includes law firms using apps, whether native to the firm or owned by a third party, for easier client communication, increased productivity, and even answering basic legal questions,” said Ellen Murphy, associate dean of strategic initiatives and professor at Wake Forest School of Law.

Golden anniversary precedes big changes ahead
E&E News
Dec. 2, 2020
Stan Meiburg, who served at EPA for 39 years, including as acting deputy administrator during the Obama administration’s later years, said the EPA’s Year 51 will center on regaining trust. “I think the biggest challenge is going to be restoration of public confidence in the agency,” said Meiburg, now a director of graduate studies in sustainability at Wake Forest. “We have had a period of where the perception that factors other than science and protection of public health were driving decision-making at the agency.” Meiburg’s comments on the future of the EPA also appeared in The Hill, Aljazeera, 88.1 WYPR (Baltimore) and the Washington Examiner.

Kami Chavis, a towering law professor, appointed vice provost at Wake Forest University
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
Dec. 2, 2020
Kami Chavis, associate provost and law professor at Wake Forest, has been appointed vice provost for three years, continuing her three year stay in the provost’s office. “As a university administrator, I think it’s really important that I stay close to the university’s mission. And that mission is to educate students,” Chavis said. In her new and expanded role, Chavis will continue to oversee approximately nine different offices at the university, including the Office of Online Education, the Center for Advancement of Teaching and the Office of Civic and Community Engagement.

Understanding America: Is there a connection between faith and firearms?
Deseret News
Dec. 3, 2020
“The less trust one has in the government, the more likely they are to take to protecting themselves,” said David Yamane, a sociologist at Wake Forest who studies gun culture. Yamane said that social uncertainty and self-defense “applies across the ideological spectrum.”

3 takeaways from Smithfield's hog farm stench settlement
Law360
Dec. 3, 2020
Steven Virgil, a professor at the Wake Forest School of Law, said that a couple of decades ago, it was hard to bring legal actions over farming practices that impacted neighbors because the general sentiment was that the smell of hog manure was the smell of money and part of rural American life. “Having them validate that this is not farming as most people imagine it is powerful stuff.”

Indoor church services are COVID-19 hot spots: Here’s why
Healthline
Dec. 3, 2020
“While I think in general it is ideal for folks to hold off on gathering these days, I also recognize that there are valid reasons why people choose to do so,” said Lucy D’Agostino McGowan, an assistant professor of statistics at Wake Forest. “I think it is really important for folks to find creative ways to stay connected with their faith-based communities.”

Why Red Ventures' latest acquisition made sense despite travel-industry slump
Charlotte Business Journal
Dec. 3, 2020
“This may not be a bad bet in that, if people are going to travel, then why not combine a company that people have been using and relying on guidebooks for travel with the other things that Red Ventures can provide?” said Ajay Patel, a finance professor at Wake Forest. “I think the combination makes sense as long as they got it for a reasonable price.”

20 in their 20s: Brad Horling, Emtiro Health
Triad Business Journal
Dec. 3, 2020
Brad Horling, a student in Wake Forest’s Master of Science in Business Analytics program and director of IT and analytics at Emtiro Health, was named one of the Triad Business Journal’s “20 in their 20s” promising young professionals.

One year later: How Truist performed since BB&T-SunTrust merger and where it plans to go next
Charlotte Business Journal
Dec. 7, 2020
Finance professor Ajay Patel said Truist spent several months before the deal closed preparing for the merger. That allowed the bank to start crafting plans well before Covid-19. The merger was publicly announced in early 2019. The challenge for BB&T was completing its largest merger yet, having previously absorbed smaller companies into its operations, Patel said.

Wallet extraction: Consumers surprised by dental and other fees for COVID-19
Carolina Public Press
Dec. 7, 2020
“In the end, whether a hairdresser is buying PPE or a restaurant is spending more on food, the specific disruption doesn’t matter,” said Jane Ryngaert, an assistant professor of economics at Wake Forest. “In both cases, the cost of doing business is higher and will be shared by the consumer.”

The what, how, and the why of science denial
WGCU (Fort Myers, FL)
Dec. 9, 2020
Wake Forest philosophy professor Adrian Bardon, author of “The Truth About Denial: Bias and Self-Deception in Science, Politics, and Religion,” spoke with NPR about the science denial phenomenon.

Activist athletes and champion teams should find a Biden White House more welcoming
Boston Globe
Dec. 8, 2020
Betina Wilkinson, associate professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest, commented on likely changes to the White House’s rhetoric around activism and sports. “It only takes one major incident for a video to go viral, for statements to be made, for protests to take place for pro athletes to voice their concerns and demand change, regardless of who is in the White House,” she said.

Why British biomass energy is a burning issue for Estonia
E&T Magazine
Dec. 9, 2020
Climate change activists warn of the so-called biomass loophole, as explained by Justin Catanoso, a professor at Wake Forest. The ‘loophole’ arises, according to Catanoso, because United Nations carbon-accounting criteria treat biomass as carbon-neutral but when trees are cut to produce wood pellets it will take 50-100 years for regrowth to absorb the amount of carbon released when the pellets are burnt.

Wake Forest reveals summer 2021 pre-college programs for high school students
Admissions.Blog
Dec. 10, 2020
Wake Forest’s Summer Immersion Program is an opportunity for high school students to pursue their passions, immerse themselves in a career pathway or field of study, and engage with Wake Forest faculty and professionals. Wake Forest will offer 20 unique learning pathways on-campus and online, with themes including STEM, Civic Engagement, Business and Creative arts.

UCSF Grand Rounds: CDC pandemic preparedness, UCSF vaccine distribution, and immunity passports
Mission Local (San Fransisco)
Dec. 17, 2020
As COVID-19 immunity becomes more widespread, the issue of “immunity passports” for those who can certify their immunity to the virus through previous infection or vaccination has risen once again. Mark Hall, professor of law at Wake Forest, helped health policy researchers to survey 1,300 people on immunity passports, finding that 55 percent opposed them and 45 percent supported the idea.

College and coronavirus: An unlikely and unwelcome combo
We-Ha.com
Dec. 17, 2020
“Most college students have similar stories to tell – stories of moments when the pandemic finally became a reality. When it became more than a (seemingly) melodramatic warning in classrooms,” said Wake Forest sophomore Maren Beverly (’23) in an opinion piece for We-Ha.com. “I think for my generation, it will become one of those, ‘Where were you when…?’ moments that always seem to cling to tragedy.”

Here are some of the first snowflakes ever photographed
Massive Science
Dec. 20, 2020
Cassie Freund, tropical forest ecologist and PhD student at Wake Forest, highlighted early photographs of snowflakes. Photographer Wilson ‘Snowflake’ Bentley was the first person to photograph a snowflake, in 1885. He described these flakes of frozen water as, “tiny miracles of beauty.”

How Starlight's energy powers in The Boys differ from Captain Marvel
Looper
Dec. 24, 2020
Jed Macosko, professor of physics at Wake Forest, provided a scientific interpretation of energy powers portrayed in the television show, “The Boys.” Starlight, Macosko explained, has powers that “are pretty clearly electrically-based, especially since she requires electricity as her input.”

Did time really warp in 2020
GEN
Dec. 28, 2020
By disrupting our routines, the pandemic skewed our interpretation of time — both as it was happening and how we interpreted it retrospectively, explained Adrian Bardon, philosophy professor at Wake Forest. It also filled us with anxiety. “The combination of negative emotion and inward-directed attention makes your moment-to-moment life seem intolerable and burdensome,” Bardon continued. Yet, “when we look back on our day, we say, ‘Where did the day go? Nothing got done.’” In other words: The pandemic added new stresses and forced us to ruminate.

Chile votes to re-write it's constitution, with guests Jennifer Piscopo & Peter Siavelis
Democracy Nerd
Dec. 26, 2020
Chile’s voters approved a measure to rewrite the country’s constitution to allow for a representative democracy and more equal society. Peter Siavelis, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs at Wake Forest, helped provide context in the rare occasion of a Western democracy rewriting its constitution. Siavelis says he will be watching the April 2021 Constitutional Convention elections to see who will ultimately contribute to process: “Does this meet the promise that we all hope it does, or is it the same names as usual? What is the socioeconomic status of these people? How do the indigenous seats play out?”

100 colleges with the best ROI
Stacker
Dec. 30, 2020
Wake Forest made Stacker’s list of the top 100 colleges with the best return on investment.

Tiffany Byrd: Getting healthy for 2021
Sports Spectrum
Dec. 30, 2020
Tiffany Byrd, director of sports nutrition at Wake Forest, appeared as a guest on the Sports Spectrum podcast to share practical steps to implement into daily life to become healthier and more productive in 2021.

Black doctors use social media to share accurate information about COVID-19 vaccine
90.7 WFAE (Charlotte)
Jan. 1, 2021
“We’ve used conference lines as well as mailed stuff out to people. You have to meet people where they are in whatever level of communication is the most convenient for them,” said Allison Mathews, a sociologist at Wake Forest who is researching how to increase trust in COVID vaccines.

How COVID-19 is disrupting data analytics strategies
MIT Sloan Management Review
Jan. 5, 2021
Some consumer goods companies have been reaching for hurricane planning models that have plans with variables like how broad-reaching the hurricane is going to be and which distribution centers should receive extra goods. “That same kind of thing might be transferable to the pandemic,” said Jeffrey Camm, a professor and associate dean of business analytics at Wake Forest.

The most important and most neglected virtue
The Common Reader
Jan. 3, 2021
“Brutal honesty can be a vice, not a virtue,” said Wake Forest philosophy professor Christian Miller. “What has to go alongside honesty is another virtue: tact. Virtues should go in packages.”

Governor announces appointments to boards and commissions
The Caswell Messenger
Jan. 7, 2021
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper appointed Allison Matthews to the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission as a member-at-large. Mathews is the associate director of Integrating Special Populations (ISP) in the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity (MACHE) at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and is an adjunct assistant professor of Sociology at Wake Forest University.

3 campus groups that especially need support
Inside Higher Ed
Nov. 17, 2020
Vice president of diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer José Villalba writes: The results of the 2020 election will bring little solace and comfort to three particular groups on our campuses: 1) undocumented and international students, 2) members of the LGBTQ+ community and 3) professional staff members, writes , in this piece for Inside Higher Ed. “As college administrators, tenured faculty members and others with certain levels of financial and educational privilege, we must understand that the short-term and long-term future for these individuals is murky at best and debilitating at worst.

Elizabeth A. Clendinning interview
Music Journalism Insider
Nov. 15, 2020
Thanks to music professor and expert gamelan player Elizabeth Clendinning, Wake Forest is the owner of a rare, custom designed, hand-carved, hand-painted gamelan commissioned by the University and made in Bali – the most famous of Indonesia’s 17,000 islands. The University owns two types of gamelan, together consisting of approximately 45 instruments including gongs, keyed percussion instruments, drums and flutes. About 20-25 people can play at once. Both gamelan are portable and can be moved to accommodate indoor or outdoor concerts.

LOCAL

Wake Forest University creates immersive virtual Lovefeast
88.5 WFDD
Dec. 22, 2020
For more than 50 years, Wake Forest has celebrated a Moravian holiday tradition known as Lovefeast. Initiated by a student in 1965, the gathering has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in North America. This year, due to COVID-19, the University adapted the experience into a full-length video recording. It captures every element of the ritual including well-known Christmas carols sung by the choir and various musical performances. “It’s a very simple service that provides, I think, an ideal environment for the softening of some of the divisions that we actually see every day in real time,” said University Chaplain Tim Auman.

Pianist, arranger and composer’s new CD is a mix of Beethoven and classic Christmas carols
Winston-Salem Journal
Nov. 14, 2020
David Levy, professor of music at Wake Forest, said: “Given the negative effects that the pandemic has had on what should have been a celebratory recognition of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth, this kind of merriment is just what the doctor ordered.”

Wake Forest University professor addresses COVID-19 vaccine distribution
WXII
Nov. 20, 2020
Haresh Gurnani, a professor of operations and supply chain management at the Wake Forest School of Business, said the next big step is transporting and storing the vaccines. “For Pfizer, it requires storage in ultra-cold conditions.”

Artists and creatives in Winston-Salem share the things they are thankful for
Winston-Salem Journal
Nov. 26, 2020
“Among the many things I’m thankful for, music rises to the top,” said Christopher Gilliam, director of choral activities at Wake Forest and director of the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus. “ Music has opened up exciting opportunities for me to travel the world performing — singing and conducting — with some of the most wonderful people in the world, as well as an opportunity to mentor and teach future performers and music enthusiasts.”

Alan Brown: School return requires time and resources
Winston-Salem Journal
Nov. 29, 2020
“When face-to-face schooling resumes for all students after a long delay, it will be teachers and administrators who are left to make up for the learning deficits caused by a lost year of in-person instruction,” said Alan Brown, chair of the Department of Education at Wake Forest, in an opinion piece. “Rather than marginalizing or shaming voices opposed to school reopening, it would be more productive for us to advocate for the time and resources needed to create a reopening plan that is feasible and safe for students, faculty and staff.”

A local pediatrician has created an app to improve the health of children
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 1, 2020
SneezSafe, a daily wellness monitoring platform, is also being used by businesses, universities and other organizations. SneezSafe is separate from the Sneez app and can be used on any device — mobile, laptop, tablet, and by QR code. To date, the symptom survey tool is in use with 15-plus companies in the Winston-Salem area including Wake Forest.

Wake Forest University to open new professional studies school in Charlotte
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 3, 2020
Wake Forest says it will open a new academic division aimed at working professionals in Charlotte; the School of Professional Studies will be its first new academic unit in more than 20 years. It will be led by business school dean Charles Iacovou. Iacovou said the new professional studies school will offer classes toward master’s degrees, certificates and other credentials as well as executive education, but not undergraduate degrees. Most students will be adults with jobs who want new or better skills to change careers or move up in their current field. The Triad Business Journal also covered the story.

Greater Winston-Salem Inc. starts 'Buy local or bye local' campaign. Stark campaign aims to get shoppers to support local business
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 6, 2020
Convincing consumers to shop locally “will be especially difficult” given the convenience of online shopping during the pandemic, said Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation at the Wake Forest School of Business. “While consumers say they want to support small businesses, there are several conditions that are creating special challenges for this sector,” Beahm said.

Political divide arrives in N.C. over election lawsuit before U.S. Supreme Court
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 11, 2020
“As a practical matter, though, it doesn’t matter how many House members sign on to a legal brief, just as it doesn’t matter how many state attorneys general join the lawsuit. It will proceed or not proceed based on whether the U.S. Supreme Court justices find any merit in the claims,” said John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest and a national expert on state legislatures.

Cooper sends letter to elected officials urging tighter enforcement of COVID restrictions
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 14, 2020
Having the Justice Department’s advisory accompanying the latest request may prompt a strong response, according to John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest who is a national expert on state politics. “This letter may well generate a greater response, though the local response is likely to vary significantly across the state.”

Truist's first year marked by pandemic, growth
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 13, 2020
“With all the brand equity that exists in the BB&T and SunTrust names, the company has reduced customer confusion in the merger, and has been able to leverage the brand equity that exists in the BB&T and SunTrust names by holding on to these old brands as long as it has,” said Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation at the Wake Forest School of Business.

Ideals, struggles, faiths and music: Spring explorations in Lifelong Learning
News & Record
Dec. 17, 2020
Wake Forest’s Office of Continuing Studies announces Lifelong Learning courses for the spring term beginning in January 2021. These non-credit personal enrichment courses provide the opportunity for participants to learn from and interact with Wake Forest’s world-renowned faculty and to study subjects like history, music, art and literature.

A naked man, empty storefronts and shootings beset Hanes Mall's holiday season in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 19, 2020
Pressure from online commerce, a pandemic, a bankruptcy and fears of crime exacerbated by social media videos have left a mark. “In some ways, this was inevitable,” said Roger Beahm, executive director of the Center for Retail Innovation at the Wake Forest School of Business after CB&L Properties, the owner of Hanes Mall, filed for Chapter 10 bankruptcy protection earlier this year.

As 2020 ends, local colleges and universities make plans for the future amidst pandemic
Triad City Beat
Dec. 23, 2020
Brett Eaton, the senior associate vice president and director of communications at Wake Forest, said testing standards at Wake Forest helped inform the university to change the campus’s operating status from “yellow” to “orange” when positive cases rose in October. “The change was meant to discourage students from leaving campus for anything other than necessary activities,” Eaton said

Stimulus check debate: Triad political analyst says it could go one of three ways
WXII
Dec. 22, 2020
“The first possibility is that President Trump does not veto it,” said Wake Forest political science professor John Dinan. “He says he’s unhappy but signs it anyhow. That’s very possible. The second possibility is President Trump goes ahead and vetoes the bill, but the Congress overrides his veto,” said Dinan. “This bill passed with overwhelming support, easily enough to make the bill become law even without Trump’s support.”

'Cocktails to go' order gets pushback from NC sheriff's group. Governor can't override the law, says attorney
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 25, 2020
“In regard to the general question of whether an executive order can override a contrary state law, the answer is that it cannot,” said politics professor John Dinan. “This holds true both at the state level and at the federal level, in terms of the inability of presidential executive order to override a contrary congressional statute and the similar inability of a gubernatorial executive order to override a contrary state statute.”

Coronavirus and protests highlighted 2020 in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County: Hatch retiring
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 29, 2020
The announcement by Wake Forest President Nathan Hatch that he is retiring next year was enough to grab the attention of city residents during 2020. Under his leadership, Wake Forest mobilized alumni, supporters and parents to support Wake Will Lead, the largest fundraising effort in the school’s history. Hatch led the integration of Wake Forest University Health Services with N.C. Baptist Hospital in 2010, and more recently oversaw the combination with Charlotte’s Atrium Health. Hatch apologized for the university’s historical connection with slavery in February.

Standing on its own
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 27, 2020
Wake Forest took a calculated risk in February when it removed its name and brand from the 2.1-million-square-foot Innovation Quarter in downtown Winston-Salem. Officials with Innovation Quarter, with an overall workforce of more than 3,400, said it was ready to stand on its own among its U.S. and global innovation peers. “Nothing about the new branding changes the commitments that Wake Forest has made to downtown Winston-Salem,” said University President Nathan Hatch.

In memory: Leaders Winston-Salem lost in 2020
Winston-Salem Journal
Dec. 30, 2020
Dr. Larry Hopkins, a Wake Forest football star, strived to help women without financial means throughout his storied career as a well-known doctor of obstetrics and gynecology. Founding Today’s Woman clinic, he worked to aid disadvantaged mothers and to reduce infant mortality in low-income neighborhoods. Hopkins, who died in November 2020, was a member of the university’s board of trustees.

$7.25 an hour has been state's minimum wage for 12th consecutive year
News & Record
Jan. 2, 2021
“State minimum-wage increases have been passed either by Democratic-controlled legislatures or through citizen-initiated ballot measures in states that allow the public to bypass legislative opposition and place measures directly on the ballot,” said John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest who is a national expert on state legislatures.

Burr: Trump and his 'unfounded conspiracy theories' to blame for events at U.S. Capitol
Winston-Salem Journal
Jan. 6, 2021
John Dinan, a political-science professor at Wake Forest, said that Wednesday’s events in Washington are unprecedented. “It is difficult to come up with any precedent in modern U.S. history for the mob behavior on display (Wednesday).”

Sen. Richard Burr, Rep. Kathy Manning will vote to certify presidential election results. Rep. Ted Budd will object
Winston-Salem Journal
Jan. 5, 2021
“We don’t have much in the way of precedent for determining how the public tends to view these challenges,” said John Dinan, a political science professor at Wake Forest. “The one thing that can be said with near certainty is that this year’s challenge by some Republican (congressional) members to multiple states’ electoral votes in the 2020 election is bound to be unsuccessful, just as Democratic (congressional) members’ challenge to Ohio’s electoral votes after the 2004 election was ultimately unsuccessful, given the lack of sufficient support in Congress for these challenges.”

Amid rising COVID-19 numbers, Triad universities prepare for students to return
88.5 WFDD
Jan. 8, 2021
Students at Wake Forest and other area colleges are required to get tested for COVID-19 before returning to dorms. They’re also asked to self-quarantine for 14 days before moving back in. Wake Forest plans to continue the surveillance testing program it launched in the fall.

Wake Forest students give Thanksgiving meals away for Turkeypalooza
WXII
Nov. 21, 2020
Besides attending class, studying and writing papers, about 50 Wake Forest University students baked turkeys and made stuffing and other trimmings as they prepared 200 Thanksgiving meals. Brad Shugoll, associate director of service and leadership in the Office of Civic and Community Engagement, said despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, the University is just as committed this year to providing meals for families that need them as it has been since 2006.

A timely assignment: Wake students complete COVID-19 class project
88.5 WFDD
Dec. 9, 2020
Students in biology professor Sarah McDonald Esstman’s virology class spent several weeks exploring COVID-related topics for a course project. Groups named the virologists, the physicians, the epidemiologists, the immunologists, the communicators and the policy makers – consisting of five or six students each – were responsible for creating 20-minute PowerPoint presentations. Students presented their findings virtually just before the University let out for Thanksgiving. The story also appeared in RocketNews.

Hip-hop and virtual jukeboxes strengthen WFU community
88.5 WFDD
Dec. 17, 2020
A unique art project at Wake Forest is bringing people together musically during the pandemic. “Jukebox Therapy” was designed by senior Rhythm Badal (’21) for her public art course, and after collecting several hours of hip-hop content from students, faculty, and staff so far, it’s creating quite a buzz. Wake lecturer and Assistant Dean Donovan Livingston is a spoken word poet and hip-hop artist who collaborated on the project, which utilizes QR code technology to build a shared community playlist.

New jobs, unemployment, IRS Form 1099-G: What you need to look out for
WFMY
Jan. 8, 2021
The Wake Forest Law Pro Bono Project helps residents get legal assistance while helping students increase their legal skills. Wake Forest University School of Law students, working under the supervision of faculty members, will offer no-cost guidance and consultation to North Carolina residents who have questions about unemployment insurance and federal supplements.

Five from N.C. schools, including a Wake Forest senior, are named Rhodes Scholars
News & Record
Nov. 23, 2020
Senior Savarni Sanka is among 32 Americans chosen by the Rhodes Trust to study at England’s Oxford University in the fall of 2021. Sanka, who is from Raleigh, N.C., plans to pursue a masters in public policy and masters of science in refugee and forced migration studies. “It’s an incredible honor to be named a Rhodes Scholar,” she said. “Every single professor at Wake Forest has influenced me in some way.” Sanka, who is majoring in politics and international affairs and Spanish, is Wake Forest’s first Rhodes Scholar since 2013 and 14th since 1986.

Wake Forest in the News

FEATURED NEWS

NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

REGIONAL & TRADE

LOCAL